May 9, 2024

Good Morning,

We’re still in the midst of a Smokies soak session. Between brief heavy downpours with hail stones, and slow but steady drizzles, the mountain has been thoroughly saturated over the last 24 hours. In the time since the first major round of rain and lightning yesterday morning, the lodge has received several inches of liquid precip. All that runoff has regular creeks raging and every wet weather drainage flowing. When such a saturation point gets reached, that amount of water turns the trails into creeks themselves and the main channels begin to overtake their banks. Storms and showers are going to persist throughout the region at least through lunchtime today, with spotty showers and clouds lingering into the afternoon before we see some partial clearing of skies. The Flood Watch remains in effect until 8:00 AM, followed by a Flood Advisory until 10:15 AM, but it’s still going to take some additional time to drain out of the park. As of now, all roads accessing Mt. LeConte trails remain open.

Since conditions are supposed to gradually improve as the day goes on, there’s no harm in hanging back this morning before starting up or down the trail. It’s not like visitors will have to contend with bustling parking lots today given the current state of things. Allowing some time for the storms to weaken and creeks to subside will make for a slightly less taxing trek up or down the mountain. Temps will continue to be in the 50s, and having the proper rain gear for keeping dry will prevent one from feeling uncomfortably cool until the sun returns. And check that footwear, because getting the toes wet might be unavoidable on every trail. Friday is calling for continued wet weather, though slightly less turbulent. We all just need to bridge that gap, then we can look forward to what is shaping up to be a pleasant weekend for outdoor exploration.

Have a great day.